Damask Rose Town

Damask roses grown in the town of Qamsar are considered the best quality, most fragrant and most beautiful flowers in the country.
Damask rose town
Each spring, the town of Qamsar turns into a forest of flowers, with Damascus roses blooming, giving off a rich fragrance. This is also the time when people in this small area harvest to distill the rose water, supplying it to the world.
People harvest roses from dawn, until before the sun reaches the top of the mountain. Photo: Tasnim News

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From early morning, people were present in flower fields, where the morning air was filled with floral scents. Javad Jafari, a villager in the town is engrossed in harvesting flowers. His hands twisted the flowers with respect and affection before dropping them into a long cloth tied from waist to neck
Like many other rose-pickers who are busy in the surrounding fields, Jafari started this work as a boy, until now nearly 70 years old.



At each harvest, from the end of May to the middle of June, he would get up at 5 am, pray and then go to the fields. This is also the time when the town welcomes large numbers of tourists from all over the world to see the farmers harvest and distill rose water.
Damask roses are in full bloom for 25 days, and this is also the time to harvest the flowers. Every day, Jafari collects about 15 kg of rose petals. Photo: Atlasobscura.
When the sun is high, Jafari finishes his harvest, with 15 kg of rose petals per day. They were taken by him to a relative's distillery This plant consumes tons of roses each season, the finished product is rose water and herbs.




Although there are many ways of distilling perfume mechanically today, at the factory in town, people still use traditional methods. Alireza, the son of the owner of a distillery, grabbed the bags of flowers Jafari had just harvested with the others, then put them in a copper pot containing 70 liters of water and cooked them. The amount of distilled water more or less depends on whether you want to use a gentle or concentrated perfume.
Despite Iran's harsh economy, the rose water business is thriving thanks to growing domestic and foreign demand. “We do very well. 50 years ago, there were only 5 factories producing rose water. Now the number has quadrupled, Alireza said.
Persians have a tradition of distilling rose water to make perfumes and petals are also used in dishes and herbs.



Photo: Atlasobscura.
Today, Qamsar is one of the main producers of rose water in Iran. In addition to distillation, Damask roses are also used in culinary and therapeutic purposes. The Persians also used rose water to treat headaches and to water new tombs of the dead. Legend has it that the prophet Muhammad used rose water to heal and purify the body. Therefore, this flower has another name, after Muhammad, the rose Mohammadi. Also for the above reason, when they harvest they often show respect for the flowers.
Moreover, Damask rose water also plays an important role in religious ceremonies.



Every year, Mecca Cathedral in Saudi Arabia imports rose water from Qamsar and anointed around Kaaba (the building in the center of the basilica) twice a year.
According to research by associate professor, Dr. Ali Nikbakht of Isfahan University (Iran), Damascus roses were first planted and used in the Qamsar region 2,500 years ago. The combination of the sun and the cool climate of the mountains makes this town the perfect place for roses to grow. The Damask roses grown here are of the finest quality in Iran.
Qamsar is a town in central Iran located about 31 km south of Kashan. Qamsar, along with other small towns of Niasar and Barzook in Esfahan province, has been the main producer of rose water in Iran for more than 800 years.
In the second half of May every year, the Rose and Rose Water Festival is held in full force in Kashan, attracting thousands of tourists every day.



The overwhelming tourist presence in these areas is assessed to have a positive impact on the local economy.
However, at present, due to the tense political situation between Iran and the US, many airlines in Europe and Asia have changed routes and avoided crossing this country's airspace. Travelers should now be cautious when planning to travel to Iran.
According to Anh Minh / Vnexpress
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